What should pets eat?
If you were to be given a pet, what should it be? Imagine that you were given a puppy. How would you care for it?

You cannot just put down a bowl of water and give the puppy just any dog food. You have to choose the food carefully to help it grow healthily.

A puppy begins its life by feeding on its mother's milk. This contains all the body-building foods, energy rich foods, vitamins and minerals that puppies need to begin growing. Over the first few weeks of its life the puppy begins to eat some solid food as well as still taking milk. Eventually there comes a time when the puppy no longer needs its mother's milk. It can feed on solid food completely. When a puppy changes to solid food it is said to be weaned. This is the time when it can be taken away from its mother and begin life in a new home.

Puppies are very playful. They run and jump about. These actions serve a useful purpose. They help the muscles and bones to develop properly. While most people have no trouble in playing with a puppy and helping it develop some people fail to help it develop in other ways ? by giving the puppy the correct food. Puppies and all young animals need body-building foods called protein. They are used to build strong muscles and bones. At the same time puppies also need vitamins and minerals. They help the body release its energy for growth and play. They also help the puppy build up a defence against germs so that it does not become ill. One vitamin, vitamin D, and a mineral called calcium, work together to help the puppy develop strong bones. Without vitamin D in the diet the puppy would develop bendy legs and would have difficulty walking.

As the puppy grows into a dog its needs also change. If it is a large dog it will need much more exercise. It will need to have two long walks a day. Pets need exercise just like humans. The exercise helps to keep the bones and muscles healthy and it also helps to keep the heart strong. The heart is made from muscle and pumps the blood around the body. Exercise helps to make the heart muscle healthier so it can pump the blood more easily round the body. Without exercise the heart can weaken and health can suffer.

Just as the needs for exercise change, the needs of the diet can change a little too. The diet of an adult dog should contain enough energy rich foods to give it the power for its exercise. Although the dog is fully grown it still needs protein to keep its muscles and bones healthy. Vitamins and minerals are needed to make healthy skin and fur. Vitamins are also needed to keep the dog free from infectious germs.

The digestive system of every animal is a tube lined with muscles. The muscles push the food along the tube but they need help. They need some solid material on which to push. This material is called fibre and it should be present in the dog's diet. Meat and bones have little fibre'in them but the cereals in dog biscuits provide plenty. If there is enough fibre in the diet the dog's digestive system will stay healthy and extract all the nourishment from the food that the dog needs.

Pets are great fun and give great pleasure but they also need great care. Before anyone gets a pet they should find out how they should care for it. They should think about whether they would have enough time to give it all the attention it needs. If they can care for a pet properly they may find that they have a friend for many years.

How can you make sure you are feeding your pet properly?
You must talk to an expert. That is someone who knows all about your type of pet and has kept many healthy pets. There are also plenty of books on pets in a library.

Can dogs and cats be given kitchen scraps?
The food that humans eat is not the same as those that animals eat. Pets should be given the food recommended by experts. If a dog or cat were fed only on kitchen scraps there would be a chance that its diet would lack some nourishment and this could cause ill health.

Can a puppy be fed on any tin of dog food?
No. It must be fed on tinned dog food that is specially for puppies. It must also be fed on biscuits, which have been made for puppies. The food of adult dogs does not provide all the nourishment that a puppy needs.

Why do cats catch mice and birds?
You may give a cat its correct diet but it still brings home mice and birds. The reason for this is that cats have a very strong urge to hunt. This urge or instinct is not removed by a healthy diet.

Can you give meat to rabbits?
No. Rabbits are plant eaters. They will not eat meat. Each pet has certain foods that it will eat and certain foods that it will not eat. Other pets that are plant eaters are hamsters and guinea pigs.

What happens when hamsters' teeth wear down?
Plant eating animals such as rabbits and hamsters have front teeth
that keep on growing through their lives. This means that they never get worn down. The danger is that they may get too big if they have a diet of soft food. If the pets are given some twigs they will gnaw on them and this will help to keep their teeth worn down.

How often should you feed a goldfish?
The answer could be "Less than you think". Many people give their goldfish food several times a day and this may be too much. Goldfish tend to be in danger from overfeeding than underfeeding. When too much food is put into a tank of goldfish, the fish do not eat it all. The uneaten food falls to the bottom of the tank and rots. This produces poisons that can kill the fish. It may be helpful never to give the fish more food than they can eat in five minutes.

Are there any insects that can be easily kept?
Yes. Probably the easiest insect to keep is the common stick insect. You can keep four or more together in a large jar such as a plastic sweet jar. The top needs to have a cover of muslin or gauze. Collect a few twigs of privet and put them in a small pot of water and put the pot and the twigs in the jar. Put the insects on the twigs and close the top. The insects will need new privet twigs once a week. When you replace them you can clean out the bottom of the jar at the same time. After a while the stick insects may lay eggs, which may hatch. The young stick insects also feed on privet so rearing them is as easy as keeping the adults. If you are successful at keeping stick insects you may find that you could give some away to friends but make sure that they have first thought carefully about keeping stick insects. Remind them that caring for any pet is a great responsibility.